Live Moments In U2's History That Still Bring A Lump In Your Throat

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super fly guy said:
Never mind U2 history,I was at the first Twickenham show last year. And during the streets intro I was holding back the tears,always spine tingling.
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I was at twickenham 2 and I was exactly the same.

It was a mixture of different things in my personal life that caused this or the greatness of the gig. Couldn't work out which or maybe abit of both.

My relationship with my wife was hanging on by a thread, my tickets for the concert had to be sellotaped back together due to a huge argument the Morning of the concert. But we got there some how, me and my wife and we haven't looked backed since :)

When the band came out that 4 song trio at the beginning had me in a mess, I was right by the b stage. Couldn't believe I was there and it was the rowdiest crowd I'd been in for a u2 gig, actually put Dublin to shame the two times I've been there. From the hero snippet in bad to the screen coming on during streets, I was a mess. Think I got myself back together for still haven't found.

That gig twickenham 2 will probably always be my favourite gig ever for so many reasons
 
rennowba said:
I was at twickenham 2 and I was exactly the same.

It was a mixture of different things in my personal life that caused this or the greatness of the gig. Couldn't work out which or maybe abit of both.

My relationship with my wife was hanging on by a thread, my tickets for the concert had to be sellotaped back together due to a huge argument the Morning of the concert. But we got there some how, me and my wife and we haven't looked backed since :)

When the band came out that 4 song trio at the beginning had me in a mess, I was right by the b stage. Couldn't believe I was there and it was the rowdiest crowd I'd been in for a u2 gig, actually put Dublin to shame the two times I've been there. From the hero snippet in bad to the screen coming on during streets, I was a mess. Think I got myself back together for still haven't found.

That gig twickenham 2 will probably always be my favourite gig ever for so many reasons
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Great post,think for myself it was because my mum has been ill. Been keeping strong for her and the family,but during the intro to streets it all came crashing out.
 
the biggest one for me is Running to Stand Still ZooTV arrangement. So good!

Mothers of the Disappeared is a good one too.
 
I went on a road trip this weekend and brought some bootlegs with me, I have to say the Point Depot version of All Along The Watchtower was fantastic... The opening of Streets where Bono brings up Sam Beckett... Angel of Harlem with the Suspicious Minds snippet.... Actually the whole darn show was pretty awesome
 
Well it’s been a while since I popped in to this forum let alone write a reply but this topic brought me so many warm memories and we all agree at leat that it showed the emotional and raw power of their music.

As for me as a long time fan since 1985 I always find myself feeling emotional every time I saw a concert (18 so far from 1987 to last year) and they play NYD cos it reminds me of the v first time I heard it so clearly at Edinburgh 1987 and I cried then. So for me personally hearing NYD live still puts a lump in my throat. Especially the high guitar sounds at the end of the piano part, I felt like flying at that point if you know what I mean.

Like so many others here, Bad is another song that gets me too. Likewise with others such as that Santiago clip with real mothers of the disappeared, that transition between RTSS—> STREETS in Zoo TV at Sydney, One as played in Mexico City on PopMart tour as a tribute to Michael Hutchence who died that week. These are just a few that I could recall but I have so many others.

In summary, amazing band amazing songs and amazing times! ;)

dougal55
 
A number from Go Home actually:
Beautiful Day - more spine tingling than lump in throat, but I remember watching this over and over as a teenager.
Kite - really quite heartbreaking and beautiful.
AIWIY/Streets

Zoo TV:
RTSS
The trio of WOWY/LIB/CHFIL

From gigs I've been at, most emotional was on this tour in Manchester.
Stay (Faraway, So Close) and WGRYWH there were definite tears in my eyes. I thought all 3 songs of the encore were incredible too.
 
Bad from Live Aid

Sunday Bloody Sunday during Conspiracy of Hope Tour -- as I recall, soft acoustic opening then full band.

Exit from Rattle N Hum and, don't think I've seen this mentioned, but Exit from Joshua Tree was pretty epic as well.

Super Bowl halftime show.

The Fly and UTETW from Zoo TV Inside was pretty amazing as was When I Look at the World in Kansas City / Elevation tour for me personally.
 
Amongst other songs but being within touching distance of the band in Manchester and hearing them sing stay then wild horses turned me into a little baby I must admit :)

That will definitely be added to my u2 emotional moments list
 
A few more recent moments that have moved me a quite a bit.

EBW, from that Berlin awards show in 2014. Bono’s voice was perfect.

October > BTBS, Paris 2015. Man I wish they’d have done this combo when I saw the tour in Chicago!

Exit. Nuff said.

Finally seeing Edge nail that Acrobat solo in person. Also, seeing Acrobat live.
 
The_acrobat said:
A few more recent moments that have moved me a quite a bit.

EBW, from that Berlin awards show in 2014. Bono’s voice was perfect.

October > BTBS, Paris 2015. Man I wish they’d have done this combo when I saw the tour in Chicago!

Exit. Nuff said.

Finally seeing Edge nail that Acrobat solo in person. Also, seeing Acrobat live.
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Agreed with all these. In addition to being a great performance, that awards show in '14 was a bit of a "last moment before SOI's trajectory changed..." - I know some thing it was sunk after the iTunes release, but I think if they'd been able to do the promo properly, it would have made much more of an impact. Alas.

The U.S. got the short end of the stick when it came to SOI, the whole October -> BTBS -> Zooropa -> Streets thing was magical. And then again on SOE.
 
Bad into Streets - Boston 2001

A key moment in my U2 fandom - one where this band escalated to a different kind of elite in my reckoning.

Music making me feel a way I’d never felt before
 
Will check out everyone's posts when i have more time.

As for me... since the super bowl was mentioned

going to the first post 9-11 MSG show. I worked on tthe 73rd flr South/Tower Two in 80/81, with an amazing North, NE view.

So intense, so cathartic! I had hardly cried after that day when I found out while listening to my portable radio in Brooklyn- what had happened; just after the last tower fell, ran back home and sobbed into my pillow.
So my waterworks turned on high as soon as they walked out on stage. Singing, dancing and crying through the whole show.

Getting in to see them at the MTV Brooklyn park show after waiting, and waiting and imperceptibly moving forward after all the 'ticket' holders had been let in. Particularly hearing COBL against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline, and OOC!

After being a U2 wfan for ?25 yrs (80/81) by the time the 360 tour rolled around seeing them about 9-10 times up till then - but never close up (while seeing just about every ther band before them, esp bands early on that would become some of the biggest and greatest ever) dg :heart: got me a GA seat, laura m :heart: got it to me, and then I saw them up close first time at the first 360 Giants Stadium show in 2009! I happen to also love NLOTH (album & song) so that made it even better!

Zooropa at Philly, and Met Life!

IGC and EXIT at Met Life :)hug: dg!) 2017!

And of course Acrobat last year! Oh, man, hearing those first few slower paced notes (it's really happening :hyper: :lol: ) before Edge opened up the stormgates!
 
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Bono reaching the peak of his powers and perfection here for much of this performance of Beautiful Day. Especially into the final chorus at 4.13 - 'TOUUUUUUUCH ME NOW! TAKE ME TO THAT OTHER PLACE, REEEAAAACH ME'. There his voice just soars.



Why the fuck can't we have more of his type of singers? Singing with pure gutso, passion, belief and energy. Singing is made to look like a job by too many front men (Liam Gallagher for starters) but not for Bono. There's something primal about Bono when he reaches these levels of performance and you can see that singing releases and liberates the soul inside of him. It's a wonderful sound and is as graceful for the listener as it is for him. That voice of his - it's such a precious asset and he knows it. A real gift.
 
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also still my favourite guitar solo, was great to experience that night in person.
 
I'm sure this was posted somewhere earlier in this string, but can you imagine if THIS had been played at the Apple keynote instead of Miracle. Game... Changer

 
Imagine if EBW had been in some soundtrack for a movie and they performed that at the Oscars, with millions of people watching. That would’ve done wonders for their popularity at that time!
 
"Electric Co./Amazing Grace" from this UF show is incredible but I'm actually posting it mostly as a tribute to Mark Hollis of Talk Talk with whom them apparently played this show, who has passed at 64. RIP.



And one of Talk Talk's best songs:

 
Iggy Fizz said:
sorry but there is literally nothing they could have played at the Apple event that would have changed anything about how that went down...
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totally agree. i should have given that caveat. Played that performance of EBW and had a pop up saying to accept or decline the new U2 album. THAT would have drastically altered the bands history.
 
womanfish said:
totally agree. i should have given that caveat. Played that performance of EBW and had a pop up saying to accept or decline the new U2 album. THAT would have drastically altered the bands history.
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Yep. I don't think people here truly realize how bad that was. A whole generation of young people know them as "that band that FORCED themselves on my iPhone."
 
My favorite for the moment is WTSHNN from 2015-07-02 - Chicago.
Despite the lyrical miss from Bono in the beginning of the song they havent nailed it with the song like this since 1989.
The band is really on the song and Bono seems to remember how to sing it like in 1989, why didnt he do this more on the rest of the tour?

Listen to it, you wont regret it...

Listen from 2:20:40 in this video.
 
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